about the author
Shalom Auslander
Author of Foreskin's Lament: A Memoir
Shalom Auslander was raised as an Orthodox Jew in Spring Valley, New York. Nominated for the Koret Award for writers under thirty-five, he has published stories and articles in Esquire, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine, as well as on nerve.com and nextbook.org. He is a regular contributor to the Public Radio International program This American Life. Auslander’s first book, the short story collection Beware of God, was published to critical acclaim in 2005.
In Auslander’s latest book, Foreskin’s Lament, he reveals a “painfully, cripplingly, incurably, miserably religious” youth in a strict, socially isolated Orthodox community, and recounts his rebellion and efforts to make a new life apart from it. His combination of unrelenting humor and anger renders a rich and fascinating portrait of a man grappling with his faith and family.
Auslander lives with his wife and son near Woodstock, New York.
Learn more about this speakerPress Links
"When I Root, God Laughs"
The New York Times
"Houseplant, C’est Moi: A Bad Seed in the Garden"
The New York Observer
"Shalom Auslander: 'Part of the job is frightening yourself'"
The Guardian
"Author Shalom Auslander: Give up and exit laughing"
Toronto Star
"Anne Frank is revived in Hope: A Tragedy"
The Washington Post
"Haunted by the Holocaust"
The New York Times Book Review
Interview with Shalom Auslander
WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show
"The Driftwood Remains: My Search for A Bankable Title"
The Paris Review
"Anne Frank, Still Writing in the Attic"
The New York Times
"Hope: A Comic Novel About The Holocaust?"
NPR's Fresh Air
Interview with Shalom Auslander
The Rumpus
Hope: A Tragedy Review
Los Angeles Times
Hope: A Tragedy Review
The Boston Globe
"So This Is Green Acres? Oy."
The Wall Street Journal
The L Mag Questionnaire for Writer Types: Shalom Auslander
The L Magazine
"Grabbing Life by the Horns"
The New York Times
"Most Anticipated: The Great 2012 Book Preview"
The Millions
Hope: A Tragedy Review
Publisher's Weekly
"Faces to Watch in 2012: Books"
Los Angeles Times
Hope: A Tragedy Book Trailers
New York
"Shalom Auslander Looks For A Holocaust Hiding Spot"
Jewcy
"Painfully Religious"
The New York Times
"Sweating the Small Stuff"
The Guardian
"Looking for God in all things"
The Guardian
"I was no patriot―until I went to France"
The Guardian
"Shalom Auslander, Voicing a Comic 'Lament'"
NPR's Fresh Air
"Sliding Dollar"
BBC Radio
"Presidential Summer Romance"
BBC Radio
"Tough Time to Be a Jew"
BBC Radio
"Got You Pegged"
NPR's This American Life
"Mistakes Were Made"
NPR's This American Life
"Poultry Slam 2008"
NPR's This American Life
"The Ten Commandments"
NPR's This American Life
"My Big Break"
NPR's This American Life
"Leaving the Fold"
NPR's This American Life
"Remember Me"
NPR's This American Life
"Shouting Across the Divide"
NPR's This American Life
"A real table for my imaginary family"
Salon.com
Featured Book
Hope: A Tragedy
"A virtuoso humorist, and a brave one: beware Shalom Auslander; he will make you laugh until your heart breaks."
—Steve Stern, The New York Times Book Review
"Hope: A Tragedy is a caustic, comic tour de force"
—NPR's Fresh Air
Speaking Topics
- Foreskin’s Lament: A Memoir
- Hope: A Tragedy
Please contact us for booking requirements and availability.